Fruit-jar



(No Model.)

J. GILBBRDS.

FRUIT JAR.

Patented Jan. 30, 1883.

, PATENT Pr ce.

JAMES GlLBEltDS, OF .JAMESTOWN, NEYV YORK.

FRUIT-JAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 271,328, dated January30, 1883.

Application filed July 13, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatLJAMEs GILBERDS, acitizen of the United States, residingat Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Ears, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Myinventiou relates toimprovements in selfsealingjars in which aspring-stirrup is used to retain the cover upon the top edge of the jar;and the objects of my improvements are, first; to provide a. wirespring-stirrup adapted to pass under the bottom of thejar and up thesides thereof and over the cover in place on the top of thejar, sealingthe cover to the jar air-tight by the impact of the spring of thestirrup on the top of the cover, and by. means of the usual rubberpacking-ring or other suitable device in the joint or point ofcontact ofthe cover with the top of the jar; second, to regulate the pressure ofthe cover to the jar by the additional use, when necessary to overcomegreat pressure from the fermentation of beer, yeast, or other articleconfined within, of a wedge operated between the stirrup and bottom ofthejar. I accomplish these objects by the construction illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a verticalsection of the jar and its cover. Fig. 2 is also a vertical sectiontaken at an angle of ninety degrees to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of the wire spring-stirrup. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of thebottom of thejar.

In the drawings, A represents the body of the jar, made of suitable formand material. B represents the cover,and O the wire springstirrup. Inthe bottom of the jar there is a groove, D, for the reception ofthe wirespringstirrup. The top of thecover is either convex or beveled on oneside, as shown in Fig. 2, to allow the top of the stirrup to be easilyreceived thereon and forced from the edge of the cover up this inclineto the highest point of the cover. A slight depression may be made inthe apex of the cover to receive and safelyretain thetopot'thestirrupafter it has reached its highest point; or the bevel on theside of the cover may not be carried quite up to the center ofthe cover,leavinga flat apex on which the stirrup will rest. The stirrup may bemade and its length determined as follows-t A springwire is taken andformed over the top and down the sides and over thebottom ofa block ofapproximately the same size and form as thejar to be sealed, and cut offat the proper length to when united completely encircle the jar andcover. The ends are then firmly united together by soldering, welding,or other means. The top of the stirrup is then bent down on a curve fromthe side of one upright to the other upright or side portion thereofuntil it assumes the shape shown in Fig. 3, producing a permanentspring, G, of the top of the stirrup.

To make up for any slight inequalities in the size of the jar, or toincrease the pressure of the stirrup upon the cover, there is formed inthe bottom of thejar one or more grooves, E, at an angle of ninetydegrees to the groove D, which receives the stirrup, and within thegroove E a wedge, F, is inserted between the jar and the stirrup, andthe latter may, by the means of the wedge, be submitted to any desireddegreeof tension withoutinterfering with the stability of the jar. Thereis a. hole, f, made in the wedge to receive a string, by means of whichthe wedge may be attached to the stirrup.

In sealing preserving cans or jars, after having placed the packinggbetween the jar and its cover, the stirrup is made to engage inthebottom groove, D, and its top portion is forced up the incline or bevelof the cover, thedownward curve of the stirrup at that point forming aspring, which by its resistance holds the cover tightly to the top ofthe jar,-and, compressing the packing ring, seals the jar airtight.

I am aware ofpatented jars in which springbails attached to ears orrecesses in the sides of thejar are used, and also that rigid stirrupspassingaround the wholejar and attached to yokes operated by wedges orthumb-screws are used. My invention overcomes the practical objectionsin each of these inventions, and is an improveinentthereon. My inventiondiffers from and is an improvement of the class represented by PatentNo. 241,095. In that class of invei1tious,while a long-stirrtup is usedpassing under the bottom of the jar, it is not a spring-stirrup, andtherefore not self-acting in taking up the contraction in the packageconsequent on cooling, and cannot accommodate itself thereto. Thescaling is positive by means of the thumb-screw. Fruits are preserved bybeing put into the jarand the jar and contents raised to a hightemperature before sealing. The result is that after contraction hastaken place the jars must all be again manipulated and the pressuretightened by thumb-screw or wedge, as the case may be, while myinventionof the spring-stirrup is self-acting to overcome the results of thesechanges of temperature.

I am also aware that the covers of jars have been fastened by means of awire or a cord, which is made to pass under the bottom of the jar andover the top of a narrow beveled ridge forming a part of the cover, andthat with other jars and in place of this ridge a tightening-key hasbeen used in the form of a fiat strip of wood capable of being passedflatwise between the wire band and the cover and then be turned upon itsedge to tighten said wire; but these fastenings differ from mine in theform of the upper part of' the stirrup and in the absence of thecontinuous spring-pressure obtained therefrom. r

Having now fully described my invention, I

claim- 1. The combination of a jar having in the bottom thereof agroove, D, to receive a wire stirrup, and a groove,E, at right angles tothe first groove, with a wedge, F, and a springwire stirrup formed witha downward bend, O, and adapted to surround the jar and its cover,substantially as and for the purpose described.

2.'The combination of a jar and its cover with a spring-wire stirruppassing under the bottom of the jar and over the cover, and

formed with its upper section, G, bent orcurved downward to produce aspring to bear on the jar-cover, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

J AMES I. FOWLER, H. H. GIFFORD.

